Toulouse is also referred to as the 'Pink City', because many of its buildings are made of pink brick. The city is situated in the Midi-Pyrenees region, southwest France. Being a major industrial center, Toulouse has retained much of its historically developed way of life, and hence it perfectly combines the old and the new.

What today is the Midi-Pyrenees region, in 120-100BC was part of the Roman Empire. The town became the capital of the Visigoth Empire in the fifth century. Later, the region fell into the reign of the Francs and witnessed numerous battles against Arabs. After its incorporation into the Frankish Empire (under Charlemagne's rule), the region was headed by counts. Due to its remoteness, the region enjoyed a substantial share of independence.

Between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, when the town housed a beautiful court, the local culture and tradition reached its pinnacle, giving the world eternal masterpieces of literature (literature of the Langue d'Oc), particularly the troubadour lyric art.
Traces of the region's cultural heritage are literally omnipresent in Toulouse. Its streets abound in sixteenth-century gothic and Roman temples, old hotels, and museums. There you can also find numerous archaeological sites.
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